Student slave skit leads to apology from Illinois school

A student-produced sketch that featured a slave auction prompted an Illinois high school to issue an apology Monday.

The 45-second skit, acted out by students from Barrington High School, was intended to show slavery in ancient Rome and was staged at a convention on Greek and Roman culture, The Chicago Tribune reported.

“Clearly, it did not come off as humorous, but there was no maliciousness or cultural insensitivity intended,” school district spokeswoman Morgan Delack said. “I think the group of students understood that some people were offended.”

The Latin teacher in charge of the students said he did not review the skit before it was performed, but he still publicly apologized at the convention, Delack told The Tribune.

The students are unlikely to be disciplined.

“This is a teachable moment and now these students can reflect back on their actions and learn from it,” Delack said.